More than a dozen families braved the record-breaking heat this weekend to take part in an Indigenous-focused scavenger hunt throughout 100 Mile House.
The two-day event, organized by the Stemete7uw’i Friendship Centre, featured 10 clues scattered throughout town at various businesses and landmarks, each with a corresponding call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Participants collected each of the clues and then returned to the friendship centre to claim a prize.
Volunteer Selina Perry said she was thrilled with the turnout of participants despite the hot weather, and everyone she saw along the way seemed to enjoy the event.
“I ran into some people who were pulling back into the friendship centre on Saturday,” Perry said. “They said that it took just over 30 minutes to get it done and they were super excited about it.”
Perry said the event, which she and other volunteers had only put together in the last few weeks, quickly snowballed into a collaborative community event as she reached out to businesses and organizations.
Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy donated several gift cards and had free kids’ books up for grabs at the final checkpoint, and WorkSafe BC donated a handful of prizes as well. The Chartreuse Moose, Fraser & Pine and Donex also contributed to the event.
“It was fantastic, I wasn’t really expecting these donations from businesses,” Perry explained. “I was calling to see if they’d want to be a part of the scavenger hunt and then they would offer to donate prizes as well. It was really heartwarming.”
Perry said that Stemete7uw’i would love to host another similar event later in the summer, with a bit more lead time to let the community know that it’s taking place.
“That would be a lot of fun to do it again at the end of summer.”
melissa.smalley@100milefreepress.net
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